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Stores yesterday scrambled to save their fruit and vegetables and other perishables as they realised the power would not come back soon. One of the Union Cooperatives in Al Aweer closed shut its freezers to make the chilling effect last longer. "Staff were ordered not to open the freezers," said the manager, noting that it helped conserve the cold. "We did not close the store during the whole time the power was off." The manager said the store ran the check-out machines manually. "It took a long time," he said, as staff worked under emergency lights. The store's manager immediately hired a generator. "The leasing cost for a generator had gone up sharply," he complained. Another store near Safa Park immediately started transferring its perishables on to huge freezer containers parked outside. "We had two big containers with the engines running the whole time," he said. Most of the offices gave their staff an early day off with the power out and nothing to do, Many headed to the beaches, making an early start to the weekend. The Jumeirah Beach was full to capacity. "Definitely, there are more people here today," said a staffer at the gate. Murray Scanlan, floor manager at the Ibn Battuta Mall, said, "We were very, very lucky," as the blackout did not reach the Gardens in Jebel Ali.
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